During the past few weeks the Washington Post has been reporting about the plight of a 10 year old boy stranded in the psychiatric ward of Children’s National Medical Center because there is no available custodian and the social services authorities have failed to find an appropriate placement for him. This child, who apparently suffers from significant mental health challenges, was admitted on September 15 after stabbing a relative and threatening suicide. As I write this posting, he still sits in the hospital without a placement. The Post reports that the D.C. Superior Court Judge presiding over this case said she will have to release him to “somebody” and “do something to end this merry-go-round". There may be a placement in Philadelphia, but the familiar stumbling block is who will pay for it?
This tragic story highlights the very real dilemmas faced by mental health professionals, social workers, courts and families in providing safe and appropriate placement for children with serious mental health needs. The task is made more complicated by the diminishing and inadequate treatment resources for these children. It’s getting worse.
In all of the endless political rhetoric that I have heard from political candidates in the last months leading up to state elections in Virginia, I have not heard one word about the need for mental health resources for children. Perhaps because to deal with this issue, we have to talk about spending money and streamlining existing resources-not a popular topic these days.
When families, agencies and legislators cannot (or will not) deal with a problem, the courts become the last resort. I empathize with the judge who has to decide this case as she tries to get some help for this child. Unfortunately we are heading into a period where the courts will be more involved in these kinds of cases.
